Captured In My Own Dream
by XxXROWBVBXxX
Summary: He has the same dream everyday. The same walls, the same picture, the same girl, the same growl. But it was just a dream. But what if he is the only one who could save her? I do not own IE or anything else by Level-5. Watch out for grammar mistakes and typos. Happy New Year! FemGazel x Burn fic.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys. Yeah, I know another story, but don't worry I will finish them, someday for sure. Now, a simple Gazel x Burn, maybe, I don't know, it won't be such a looong story, but whatever. I want a maximum of 10 000 words.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE, just the plot, I think, warning a little OOC-ness in it. And, by the way, Gazel is female in this fic.**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 1**

Ice. The walls, the floor, they were all cold and clear crystal, but somehow it wasn't slippery.

Somewhere in his mind he thought vaguely that it should be, but that faraway part of his thoughts was unimportant now. So he moved on.

A hall, its ceiling far overhead, with snowy pillars and vast pictures etched into the frozen walls lay before him. It was all insignificant though. All that mattered to him was the altar lying at the chamber's center, rising from the floor of the room. Atop the altar lay a crystalline casket of even clearer ice than that of the rest of this frigid place.

He walked slowly towards the casket in order to gaze upon the body that lay within, locked away in stasis. She was alive, somewhere vaguely in his mind he wondered why he was so certain about that. That faraway part of his thoughts was unimportant though. She was alive.

Her face held the tiniest blush on her fair cheeks, her hair was a mix of the pure white snow and the blue color of the the cloudy sky, and her eyes… blue as the clear morning sky and a beautiful fine skin. She was perfect. That was just a simple fact.

Suddenly, a noise shattered the glacial silence. A growl. He tore his gaze away from the imprisoned perfection and turned to see a pack of half a dozen wolves, the leader being the source of the growl. All six had coats colored as white as fallen snowflakes which blended with the frosty room as they cautiously advanced toward him, an intruder. One, obviously the youngest, leaped with a snarl, straight for his throat…

Nagumo Haruya woke abruptly from his recurring dream. He always woke at that same moment, never before, never after. With a sigh he threw off his blankets and shivered with the remaining feeling of cold from his dream. He walked towards the room's window and peeked through the blue curtains to see only another dreary morning of fog and frost. Glancing at the clock, he saw that his alarm would go off in about five minutes. Might as well just get up, he thought, turning off the alarm and heading towards his door.

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**A/N: Yeah, I know is very short, but I want an opinion about this fic too, you know? That's it guys. Hope you liked it. I wish everyone a Happy New Year, let's meet again in 2013.**

**See ya!**

**Reviews?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys, especially for you, I've made the second chapter of my story. I made this, 'cause of all the sweet reviews I saw, and I'm very happy, so happy. That's why, please enjoy this chap.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE, a bit OOC-ness, and Gazel is female in here, just so you know.**

**Happy New Year To Everyone!**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 2**

Later as he sat in his math class, staring with glazed eyes, Nagumo's thoughts gravitated toward his strange dream.

Who is she? Why does she show up in my dream? Why ice? The only thing he knew for certain was that she was simply the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Unfortunately, Nagumo's distracted state was obvious to the teacher and he was obliged to focus once more on taking Calculus notes.

"Nagumo, oh Burn. Haruya you there?" The voice barely penetrated his obsessive thoughts about his vision.

Why did he dream about that castle and her? He had never seen her before in real life.

"BURN!" The shout sliced through his thoughts as sharp as a knife.

"What?" He answered annoyed. He turned towards the speaker who was none other than Hiroto, his best friend. Suddenly he felt a wave of guilt wash over him for both ignoring and snapping at him.

"Whoa man, chill. I was just gonna ask if you needed my notes for your exam. What's wrong with you today, or more like this week, anyway?" His friend replied.

"Oh, I just haven't been sleeping well. I just need to review that Hess' Law for my chemistry exam and I have those notes already, but thanks." And he turned back to his faraway brooding.

Who is she?

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An abrupt change occurred in Nagumo's musings. It was a shift from a foggy recollection of his recurring dream to a sharp view of the crystal palace, complete with signals from all of his five senses.

Did I fall asleep? That thought floated through his mind.

The dream was different this time. There was an unusual weight was in his hand, so he glanced down and felt a wave of surprise to see a sleek sword made of silver with a pearly sheen. Another tide of surprise washed through him as Nagumo found that he had felt surprise, an emotion, in a dream that had never before permitted that aspect of humanity.

A second change occurred when he wanted to take a step towards the icy casket. A familiar growl came to his ears.

He raised his head from the mysterious weapon he was holding and saw, once again, the snow-white pack. However, instead of one wolf leaping immediately for his throat, the youngest waited, allowing his pack to flank him. Finally losing its patience, the youngest pack member leaped forward, straight towards his victim. Burn tried to raise his sword in time to ward off the death of claws and teeth, but his arm moved far too slow.

Death approached him with a snarl and silver eyes.

Falling… but no pain. Dying wasn't so bad.

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**A/N: Yeah, I know this very short too and that I've made a cliffhanger. But whatever. Hope you like this, guys. And I will wait for your opinions. I wish all of you a Happy New Year.**

**See ya!**

**Reviews?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The next chap from this story. I'm sorry, for it's very short again. Gomen'nasai!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE, this is a bit OOC-ness, and well, that's it.**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 3**

Black oblivion…

All was a blur. Indistinct colored shapes swam, fighting the current to become clear, focused. Wait… I died. Is this the afterlife? At least it's not black anymore. I did think that the afterlife would be in focus though. Hang on a minute… fangs and teeth ought to be painful, but I felt, feel nothing. Something is becoming clear here. There is no pain…

So quickly that he thought that there should have been an audible snap, Nagumo's world came together clearly again. Hiroto stood, leaning over Nagumo's prone figure, concern written plainly across his face.

"Gran? But I'm supposed to be dead… the wolf…" His voice trailed of with a confused and bewildered note.

"Dead? I hope not. Although you had me wondering when you fell off your seat during lunch. First, you're spacing out all week. Then, you pass out at lunch. Is something wrong with you?" His voice was annoyed, but his face still carried the distinctive lines of worry.

"Don't worry too much…" Nagumo replied in a desperate attempt to make his friend feel better.

"Maybe I finally cracked under all of the stress." He grinned to show that he wasn't entirely serious.

Hiroto looked skeptical at first, but finally smiled back and reached out his hand to his bedridden friend.

"Let's get out of here, school ended about twenty minutes ago."

"My chemistry exam!" Nagumo exclaimed when he realized that by missing his last period, he had also been absent for his big chemistry test.

"Calm down!" Hiroto said with a wink, "Now you have an excused study extension."

Nagumo smiled slightly at that.

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At home Nagumo gazed up at the ceiling, still wondering what was going on. That dream had come every night for a week now and before then it had been less regular. Suddenly today it had changed. Why? The recurring dream had been strange enough to begin with…why had it changed?

"Nagumo! Go to bed! The nurse said you needed rest! That means I want to see the lights out!" Hitomiko-san called from downstairs. He got up from his bed and turned the light off.

As much as he dreaded the wolves, once the lights were out, he could no longer fight the gentle tug of sleep.

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**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

Nagumo reached out blindly to turn off his alarm clock. The horrible beeping ceased as his hands groped for, and found, the correct button. But then with a sudden realization, he sat up straight in his bed. He hadn't dreamed of the wolves, or the ice, or the perfect girl last night. Maybe he had only been stressed. Maybe the whole thing was just a sign that he had needed a break before he cracked.

A sigh escaped his lips, part relief and part… disappointment? Anyone would be relieved at not seeing a pack of wolves that wanted you dead. However, he couldn't help but long to see that perfect face again…

Time for reflection had passed as he realized that he needed to be at school early today to discuss his test taking options with his chemistry teacher. Steeling himself of the effort of actually getting up. Nagumo climbed out of his bed and began his normal whirlwind that he called his morning routine. Get dressed, eat breakfast, throw books in backpack, search for keys and lunch money, stumble out the door. Finally out of the house and into the…

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**A/N: Cliffhanger! Again! I know, I know.. But I couldn't get with something more better. You better review if you wish to see the next chap, okay?**

**See ya!**

**Reviews?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Very sorry for very short chap, but I think I get to stop having ideas. Maybe is a writer's block but I don't know.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE, a bit OOC-ness, and that's all.**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 4**

Snow.

It was early April. The snow had already melted a month ago. Yet there was laying at least a foot of pure snow with more falling.

Why hadn't Hitomiko-san called to tell him there was no school? He looked around wildly and noticed that the roads weren't plowed and her car remained safely ensconced in the carport.

So she was still home? He had just been inside, no sign of her or any of the other kids from Sun Garden.

Nagumo dashed back inside and searched frantically, but he found no sign of anybody. Aside from their disappearance, the phones didn't work, the TV showed only static, and the radio was useless. With technology running haywire, Nagumo decided to walk to Hiroto's house.

Bundled up in a bulky ball of clothes, Nagumo once again plunged into the desolate land of white the city had become.

He reached Hiroto's house and found that, no matter how many times he rang the doorbell, no one answered. Ringing the bell once more for good measure, Nagumo decided to quit that method. He trudged slowly through the snow until he reached the back of the house.

There he slid open the window that led into the rec room. Hiroto had told him that the family left this window unlocked just in case someone forgot their key. He and Hiroto had made use of this window a couple of times when they wanted to sneak in or out of the house without anyone noticing.

Nagumo dropped onto the floor of the house as quietly as he could, just in case. He then began to silently make his way through the house looking for anything to indicate that someone was home or to show him what was happening. However nothing turned up.

He now lay on his friend's bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering and worried. He should probably head back towards his own house, but he was already tired from his first trek and frankly it was way too cold to be outside fighting snowdrifts. He therefore totally didn't want to get up and thus began to slowly drift into sleep…

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**A/N: I'm sorry for short chap, how did I said. Ohh, and I want to thank my good friend SnowyWolff for helping me with this story, if you want I can send u this ****chapter as well. Hope u liked it!**

**See ya!**

**Reviews?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys, I want to thank all of you for the sweet reviews I've gotten. Arigatou! Now, for you I've made the next chap from this fic quicker. Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE or anything else by Level-5, a bit OOC-ness, and that's all.**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 5**

"Nagumo! Finally, you made it! Listen, you've gotta help us to get out of here…" That was Hiroto's voice.

Nagumo's eyes opened and he realized he was standing in the middle of a strange room with no doors and no windows. It was made of ice. The walls, ceiling, floor, all were silvery smooth ice. The frozen room was so flawless that Nagumo was able to see his bright golden eyes framed by his bright red hair stare back at him. Or at least he saw this reflection until it was replaced by Hiroto, and Hitomiko-san, and his own mother, and others, people he knew, people he didn't. Soon the reflective walls were filled with people all gazing at him.

"What's going on? Why are all of you in those walls? Is this just a dream? All of it, like the snow and no one being at home and the TV and phones not working and everything?" Panic started to penetrate the emotionless shell Nagumo had managed to maintain until then.

Hiroto was the one who answered his questions. "We were… captured. Stolen while we were sleeping and then brought here. All we really know is that you're still free, meaning that you're our only hope of getting us out of here, Burn. You've got to help us."

Ice… Nagumo thought. That's like my dream. Maybe this was all connected, the dream, the snow at home, this ice-cube chamber, everything.

"Do you know who did this to you?" he asked.

"Some of us were discussing it." Hiroto said slowly. "All of the people I talked to were dreaming when they were 'taken'. But who is a little different. We all saw someone with silvery-white hair and very pale blue eyes, so pale that they were almost white. And it was a girl. We don't know who she is though." Hiroto looked down as if feeling like he was insufficient and inferior for not knowing more.

Someone Nagumo did not know looked up at him shyly. She was a little blond girl, about eight years old. He thought.

"She said something to me in my dream," She said to him, "She asked me what my favorite season was in that icky sweet grown-up voice and when I told her it was spring she got angry and said 'Well, isn't that nice!? You'll be happy then, since you'll be locked up just like her!'"

Her? Since when was a season a person? A thought suddenly struck him. Perhaps this was the…goddess?… of winter's doing and she had imprisoned the goddess of spring, that perfect girl in the icy casket. No. That was too absurd and far-fetched. Anyway why would Winter imprison Spring? Unfortunately for Nagumo's reasonable side, the answer to that question came to him quickly, Winter's reign ends when Spring arrives. Nagumo physically shook his head trying to clear out the idea. That was totally ridiculous! Like a fairy tale. There was not way that that could be possible. Hiroto saw him shake his head and gave him a puzzled look.

"Do you know how I'm supposed to get all of you out of here?" Nagumo finally decided to ask.

"Well…" said Hiroto slowly, "I'd guess that you have to find that woman and, if that little girl is right, you probably have to stop whatever 'plan' she has." He grinned.

"You ready to play the hero, Nagumo?"

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**A/N: That's the end guys. Sorry for the chapter being so short... again. Well I hope you liked it.**

**See ya!**

**Reviews?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys, back with the new chap. Very sorry if it's very short, I was really busy these days. But I hope is a good one.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE or anything else by Level-5, and a bit of OCC-ness in it. That's all.**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 6**

Nagumo suddenly grinned back. Hiroto had always teased that he was too much of a hero.

"The Defender of the Weak"

This time though he would be a real hero, if this was real in anyway. Frankly Nagumo wasn't yet convinced that it was anything more than just a silly dream. The grin disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.

"Does anyone know how I can find her?" Maybe he could at least get a little help, a little clue as to how he was supposed to do this idiotic thing.

A man stepped forward. He was huge, a man-mountain.

"I think she's in the real world, where we live. I mean if she was trying to get us out of the way then that means that she wanted to be where we were…right?"

Nagumo's brow furrowed as he thought about this possibility. Perhaps the man was right. Anyway that's what Nagumo had to hope for. How could he do anything from the real world if the winter woman wasn't there?

Hoping that the assumption was correct, he began to wake up and was thus unable to ask any other questions. For several moments he was disoriented, not knowing where he was. That didn't last long, however. After all, he had stayed over many nights in this same room, Hiroto's room in Hiroto's house.

Nagumo sighed. Now he knew for sure that it was no use looking for anyone, he wouldn't find a soul. He suddenly felt an extremely lonely. He wasn't just isolated from the rest of humanity. He was the rest of humanity. For now he was all that remained of reality in the real world. Despite these feelings, he had to gather his courage and begin his adventure. At this moment loneliness was the least of his worries.

His first obstacle would be to find where this Winter Woman was hiding. Nagumo thought of his recurring dream and knew that she was in that castle. He walked over to Hiroto's window as if expecting to see icy spires on the horizon. And so he did.

Nagumo stared in surprise. That was too easy. Then a thought struck him. Why had he been left behind? Every other human being was in that other place, even the animals were there as far as he could see. At least he hadn't seen a sign that Hiroto's hyperactive puppy was around. So why was he still here? The question went unanswered as he jerked himself back to the here and now. He had to focus, had to get to that castle that glittered dully in the cold, cloudy light.

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**A/N: And that was today's chapter for this story! Hope you liked it guys. Please excuse my grammar mistakes and typos.**

**See ya!**

**Reviews?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: And this is the chap for today. I'm sorry of it's really short and boring. I really tried to write, but I was kinda busy today. Gomen. Anyways, I hope you liked it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE, and a bit of OOC-ness.**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 7**

Nagumo looked around him and thought about possible items he could take to help with a trek in the snow. He tore through Hiroto's closet pilfering heavy warm clothes. It was a very long way to where he was going and with the roads buried in snow he would have to walk. Then he remembered that Hitomiko-san owned a snowmobile that she used during the winter when she was a volunteer rescuer at the ski hill. His next several minutes were then spent in tearing apart the house for keys and for a pair of sunglasses to help with visibility. Finally he considered himself ready to begin. Dragging the snowmobile out of its shed, Nagumo climbed on and started it. Soon he was speeding of toward that castle resting on the horizon like a malignant guiding star.

The journey seemed to pass in a dreamlike state. In fact it felt even more dreamlike than the dreams he'd been having lately and especially more dreamlike than the dream he had just recently seen with Hiroto and the rest trapped in those walls.

However, the dream seemed to continue and the castle never got closer. Was it illusion? Was he chasing a shadow? Nagumo began to doubt himself and his mission. He looked down at the snowmobile he was riding through the untouched snow. It belonged to Hitomiko-san he remembered. Barely though since the cold was numbing his brain. It belonged to her.

He was doing all of this for his best friend and all those others that he cared about that were currently trapped in that other place. The proof he had of this? Well they weren't here were they? Then another face floated across his mind. It was that girl.

Her two beautiful eyes stared into him and he realized that he was also doing this for her, that in order to save everyone he would have to free her. Perhaps that was why he was still here because he was able to see her, able to contemplate her existence even outside of those extraordinary dreams.

Nagumo looked up, toward the castle, with new determination and purpose and was surprised to see that it seemed closer, larger, if only a little. He wouldn't let his purpose fade this time for now he saw it was the only thing that would allow him to reach the stronghold of the snow.

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**A/N: That's the end guys, and I'm sorry again for being too short.**

**See ya!**

**Reviews?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Next chap from this fic for you guys. Today I didn't felt too well, so this is all I could wrote. Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE, and a bit of OOC-ness.**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 8**

Despite his determination, or perhaps because of it, Nagumo fell into another dream-state. This time he was more focused though.

The cold, the stinging snow, the purr of the snowmobile's motor were beneath his notice. All he saw and all he sensed was that castle where he knew the inert body of that beautiful girl lay. He continued on in this state for an indeterminate amount of time.

The sun was hidden behind the screen of clouds and the still falling snow so there was no way for him to tell what part of the day it was. Finally, something shook him from his single-mindedness, something about his path looked off and strange.

It took a moment for Nagumo's numb brain to figure out what he was seeing, tracks made by human boots. A thought, a hope flashed through him. Perhaps he was not alone here after all. These tracks, like Nagumo seemed pointed directly toward the castle in the distance, although he now realized that he had gained quite a bit of ground.

He had stopped the snowmobile and gotten off to investigate the tracks so he now turned around to climb back on and set out once more. This time he followed the footprints as well as just moving toward the castle. He had to find out if there was someone else that had escaped being trapped.

Eventually he reached his destination.

He sat atop the snowmobile in the shadow of the ice castle. He glanced down at the trail of footprints and saw that at the gate, where Nagumo now was, they veered sharply to the left while still remaining within a few feet of the high wall.

Puzzled and curious, he made up his mind to follow the path of the footprints rather than try to force open the huge castle gate. These tracks near the palace were very new, hardly any of the new snow that was still falling. He was even a bit surprised that he had not seen the person who made these tracks on his journey, but then he hadn't been paying attention to anything but his path and his purpose.

The prints led around the corner of the wall and about three quarters of the way along that wall before stopping, turning to face the castle wall and then they disappeared. He couldn't believe it, they were just gone as if the owner of the feet had melted into the wall. With this thought Nagumo squinted at the smooth, ice-brick wall and was surprised to see that a rectangular section was, upon close scrutiny, a slightly different texture from the rest of the castle's wall.

This section wasn't the same surface made of perfectly squared off, flat faced bricks. The bricks here were slightly smaller and not quite flat. They looked as if the tiniest of ripples had been forever frozen in the ice.

Nagumo reached forward and gently touched one of these new kinds of brick and felt it move so he pushed a little harder. Out of pure luck he had found the exact brick that had to be pushed to open the side doorway through the wall. The footprints continued on the other side of the small rectangular doorway he had just opened.

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**A/N: That's all! Yeah I know... Booo-ring, sorry again. **

**See ya!**

**Reviews?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Here is the next chap. Thanks for waiting and I'm really sorry for late update. I was incredible busy, so I tried to make this chap a liiittle BIT longer. I hope I make it right!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE or anything else by Level-5, and a bit of OOC-ness.**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 9**

Deciding that this was probably a much better way to enter the castle than through the main gate, Nagumo stepped through the portal.

He now stood in the middle of a small courtyard that was half cleared of the falling snow and paved with icy tiles, but just like the floor of the castle in his dream, these tiles were easy to walk on, not slick like ice should be. At the far side of the courtyard was another doorway, this one open, from which a warm orange glow was coming.

In this icy place, something that warm and inviting seemed to clash. This was the exact reason that Nagumo trusted it. He strode quickly across the courtyard and through the doorway.

The small room where he stood was wet. The ceiling dripped, the floor was slick with water, droplets rolled down the walls.

As soon as Nagumo thought about it the reason for the water became obvious. This room was warm. The heat from a large fire, the source of the warm glow he had been drawn to, was steadily melting this ice-room.

In the middle of the room stood a sturdy wooden table with a bench along either side. The golden wood glistened with beads of water but Nagumo hardly even noticed for nothing in the room could compare to what lay within a glass case set on the table.

An elegant sword with a perfect silver blade and a hilt that shone with a pearly sheen lay within the glass as if waiting. Engraved in the blade Nagumo noticed was a crescent moon. Three characters that he could not decipher were set in a vertical line beneath the moon.

Nagumo stood silently in awe and dumb surprise. The sword itself did not surprise him, but rather the fact that he had seen that very sword before, in a dream. He recalled standing in that great icy Hall with a pack of wolves approaching and a sword's weight, unfamiliar, in his right hand.

It wasn't very long before Nagumo recovered from his shocked paralysis and when he did he noticed that he was not alone in the room. Sitting on the bench that rested on the far side of the table and sword was a boy.

He had green hair tied into a ponytail, tan skin and sharp black eyes, but he stared at Nagumo so intently and searchingly that he wondered how he had not noticed him before.

"I see you made it." His voice reminded Nagumo mostly of distant thunder.

"Who are you?"

"No one important."

"How are you here? Everyone else was trapped in those walls."

"I'm bound to the sword until someone takes it since I'm the one who made it."

"What do they say? The characters on the blade?"

"Ah. You can see them can you? The moon too I suppose? Well they say nothing very special. Just 'Sword of Moon'. An obvious sort of name if you can see the moon."

The boy rose slowly and reached into a pocket to pull out an elegant golden key, which he then turned in the lock of the glass case that held the sword.

"Are you the person whose footprints I followed here?" Nagumo asked curiously as he watched the boy release the sword.

He didn't answer the question. Instead he held out the sword to him.

"Take it for it seems that already it has released its bond from me and has chosen you. Even now the symbols on the blade fade from my sight."

Numbly, Nagumo reached for the hilt with his right had and gently took the sword from the boy's grasp. For many moments he simply looked at that sword, watching the firelight play on the polished blade. When he finally looked up again the strange boy was sitting down as if exhausted.

"Yes." His thunder voice cut into the silence.

"W-what?" Nagumo asked a bit startled.

"You followed my footprints here. If you had entered through the front gate you would have gotten into the castle but also a trap."

He paused and looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing.

"Now you must enter the castle if you want to fulfill this silly quest of yours. Honestly, I doubt you'll survive but if you go through there.''

Here he pointed to a door on Nagumo's right.

"You might be able to go unnoticed for a little while. That's all. Now go."

Nagumo did as he was told.

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**A/N: That's it guys. I hope you liked it. Ohh, and that boy was actually Midorikawa if you didn't noticed. Well, I'm going to try to write the next chap from Unconditionally Mission (and Love), and if I'm not going to finish the next chap today, I will try to write the last part tomorrow in the morning before I go at school.**

**Ohh, and the next chap from The Peasant's Tale is going to be update it at the end of the week. That's all minna-san.**

**See ya!**

**Reviews?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys. Back with the new chap. Well nothing more to say now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE or anything else by Level-5, and a bit of OOC-ness.**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 10**

Once through the door the warm glow from the room he had left began to fade into a monotonous cold blue comprised of light filtering through the thick ice walls.

He was in a long hallway that curved slightly and had as yet no doors. Nagumo became increasing nervous as he walked on since he could not see very far down the passage. There was no way to tell how long the hall ran or if anyone lay in wait for him.

Finally, he noticed an end to the gentle curve, a door. Slowly his hand reached for the knob set in the cloudy door. It was impossible to see anything on the other side, but somehow he knew that this door was the only way out of the hall. Carefully he turned the knob hoping that the door would make no noise. Thankfully it swung open with relieving silence.

Ducking back into the curved hallway, Nagumo cautiously peered around the edge of the now open door checking for enemies or obstacles. What he saw was empty room, perfectly round, with a domed ceiling. Spaced evenly around the circular room were about ten doors (including the one he had just opened). Now how was he supposed to know where to go?

He decided that he would achieve nothing by standing in a doorway gaping at the room so he boldly walked into the circular room. His courage fled when the door he had entered through swung with a quiet finality closed.

In a panic Nagumo tried to open it again. It was locked. Sweat began to drip between his shoulder blades as his terrified panic became stronger. If all the doors were locked from this side then he was completely trapped, no way out. He felt like a caged animal.

Cage?

Was all of this a trap?

No. The boy who had given him the sword would not send him to a trap.

Nagumo could and would never believe it of him. That meant that there was some way out of this. Slowly he let his gaze travel around the round room, scrutinizing every piece of the room. The first thing he noticed was that every single door was featureless, no design, just flat.

This made them indistinguishable from al the others. So that he would remember where he had come in Nagumo drew his sword and slashed at the ice-made door that he had come through.

The sound of metal was not a pleasant one, but the desired effect was achieved. A thin straight slash now set this door apart from its mates.

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**A/N: Well that's the end minna-san. And I know it's incredible short, but you know me, I like short things! **

**Anyways, well with that I have to write at the next chapter from The Peasant's Tale, yeah, I know I was pretty lazy, but I will really try to write it this weekend. I have many homeworks and next week I will give many tests so yeah, hate school by the way, especially math. **

**Whatever, so anyway that was it. Reviews are more than welcome.**

**See ya!**

**Reviews?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey guys. This is the next chap from my fic, so I hope u will like it. And yeah, next week will be extremely busy with different things and stuff. So I don't know if I can update then, sorry! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE or anything else by Level-5, OOC-ness and that's all.**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 11**

With a new sense of security and control, Nagumo moved to the door to his immediate right thinking that he might as well be methodical. He tried the knob, locked. Drawing his sword he slashed this door as well but he made to cuts, a cross, so that he would know exactly which door he had entered through.

Moving to the next door, he found that it too was locked. He marked it with an "X" as well. By the time he made his way around the entire room he had determined that only two doors were unlocked.

Those he had left unmarked and, with the exception of the door he came through, the rest had slashed Xs engraved in their fronts. Before Nagumo had just tried the knobs, now he went to the closest of the unmarked doors and slowly opened it while peering around the edge.

All he saw was a room that was obviously a closet, if an unused one. Empty shelves lined the walls of the cramped space. Sighing in disappointment Nagumo move to the other door. Again he opened it slowly and cautiously. This time he saw…

A hall, its ceiling far overhead, with snowy pillars and vast pictures etched into the frozen walls…Nagumo shook his head to clear it.

The chamber before him was exactly the same as the one he had found himself in during those visions including the altar at the far side that supported the perfectly clear casket.

Now he knew he was in the right place for he knew that what lay in that clear casket was what he searched for, the girl. His relief was short-lived, however, as he remembered from his dream what else awaited him in this room.

On cue a familiar growl filled Nagumo's ears. The pack of snow-white wolves were exactly where he remembered them being. The group stalked towards him, the leader snarling, cold hatred in each pair of canine eyes.

The wolves began to flank him in a strategy that Nagumo remembered from his dream and so anticipated. Instead of waiting in shock for the attack he knew was coming, he immediately drew his sword. He was ready. The young wolf leaped but his teeth never found their goal, instead the shining steel found his heart.

Blood gushed from the wolf's inert body.

Nagumo leapt back from the body, repulsed. Blood was red. He knew that. So why did he see a puddle of sickly bluish-white quickly freezing to the floor?

He was given no more time to ponder this as he realized that the remaining five wolves had used the time his shock had provided to surround him. It was not that hard since he had not yet moved far from the door.

The semi-circle they had made was slowly constricting. For the second time in one day Nagumo felt caged. Except this time he also felt unmistakably like prey.

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**A/N: Okay now I have two things to say.**

**First: I want to thank for all the reviews and favorites I saw this story brought. So I'm extremely happy, thank you for your support a LOT!**

**Second: I already see an end for this fic so I'm going to finish it soon.**

**See ya!**

**Reviews?**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys. I know I said I won't update in like 2 weeks, and maybe I'm going to be in a semi-hiatus? Sounds a little bit weird, whatever. **

**So I will update late, and there won't be any long chaps for your curiousity.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE or anything else by Level-5, OOC-ness and that's it. Enjoy!**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 12**

The slow advance continued while Nagumo warily raised his sword, his only protection from these creatures whose goal was his death. Now there was only about five or six feet of distance between him and his hunters. Had he wanted to Nagumo could have touched the tip of his sword to a wolf nose.

Time and thought began to move slowly for him, but fortunately his movements were at a "normal" speed. The wolves leaped for him in concert. Their speed was incredible but somehow Nagumo moved even faster.

He was able to avoid one leaping wolf while shoving a second one, still in midair, into a pack mate, creating a tangled heap that took the beasts many moments to sort out.

Those moments were enough for him. Whipping around he saw that the wolf he had avoided had collided with the wall, not dead but severely dazed. That left two wolves as Nagumo's immediate problem.

One, he noticed, was the pack leader. The largest, noblest of the creatures. The large beast stood still, like an ice sculpture decorating the grand hall, or rather a warding statue for intimidating intruders.

The other wolf Nagumo faced was trembling with rage, all his sharp teeth exposed in a fierce snarl. His rage was so intense that he was distracted and defenseless. Adrenaline coursing hotly through his blood, he no longer noticed the icy surroundings.

Nor did he feel remorse for his intention of killing these animals. His sword, hot with his own battle fury, swung in a deadly arc cleaning slicing off the wolf's head.

A second puddle of that bluish blood joined the first, frozen to the floor. Now Nagumo began to advance on the pack leader, but the two wolves that had lain until then in a tangled heap were now on their feet and advancing with cold hatred.

One swung around to his other side in an attempt to force him to choose which side to defend. However, Nagumo ruined their strategy by not waiting for the attack this time.

He charged at the wolf on his left, stabbing through the heart before it could react. Quickly he whirled to face the other wolf that had darted towards his back when he had charged. As Nagumo turned, he let his sword move in an arc of its own aided by the speed of his spinning body.

This time the aim wasn't perfect. The blade went too low slicing the wolf's foreleg. Even if the first swing was not perfect, it gave him an opportunity to strike again while the wolf tripped, whimpering.

The second attack found its target. Now four wolves lay dead.

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**A/N: Okay, I know this was a SHOOORT and pathetic chapter, but I didn's had any more cool ideas. Gomenasai. **

**Now, my next update will be just in this weekend, and well thanks for taking your time and read this. I'm very greatful for all the sweet reviews I got for this fic, really guys you are all totally awesome, thanks again. **

**That's all minna-san, reviews are more than welcome for me.**

**See ya when I want to!**

**Reviews?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey guys. I'm terribly sorry for late update I was very very busy. Anyways, I'm even more sorry for this extremely shooort chap. Gomen! But I still hope you guys, liked it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE or anything else by Level-5, OOC-ness and that's all.**

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 13**

Once again Nagumo began to advance toward the immobile leader only to be thwarted by the wolf that had been dazed. Its silver eyes faced him, challenged him, diverted him from the pack leader once more.

He began to feel grudging respect for these creatures that so fervently wished to protect their leader. As this respect fought to be realized, his anger began to fade making him realize how tiring the fight really was. His movements became more sluggish. Then the wolf attacked, sensing the current weakness of his adversary. Slow, too slow. He was going to die.

Hiroto, Hitomiko-san, the rest would never be free. The girl in the casket would remain in that glacial prison forever. Her face floated behind the eyelids that had squinted closed in fear of oncoming death.

With the vision of the girl's face, Nagumo's desperate battle fury was rekindled. Hot. He would melt the ice.

His eyes snapped open. This time he would not be unscathed but he would live. The Sword of Moon came up in a lightning arc redirecting the wolf's teeth to his right shoulder. The pain was incredible, but only for a few moments.

Nothing mattered now except defeating these wolves so that he could make his way to that icy casket. Nagumo stood and switched the sword to his left hand looking at it for the first time. The blade was smeared with the strange colored blood but the crescent moon and the labeling characters were still clearly visible. In fact they glowed hot and red.

Even it's pearly hilt seemed to glow like a flame. Not knowing what prompted the action, Nagumo gazed quickly upward to see a full moon through the clear ice roof. It was afternoon and yet the moon was out.

That was not the strangest part, however. The moon glowed red like the sword.

Facing the wolf once again, he realized that he had caught the side of its face his blade creating a long gash that had ruined one eye. Snarling silently himself, Nagumo charged the creature's blind side and swung the glowing sword for the kill.

Now he faced the last one, the leader.

There would be no more interruptions. The wolf knew this too for he had abandoned his sitting position and now stood with a cold dignity facing Nagumo's heat.

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**A/N: The end, minna-san. I hope you enjoyed this chappie, which was again veryyyy short. I will be very busy again next week, so don't think there will be fast updates. Sorry! ;P**

**See ya!**

**Reviews?**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm deeply sorry for not updating more faster. I was... kinda busy. Anyways, this is the last chap I need to say, which is the longest one ever. I hope you liked the chap and especially this fic. And I will wish to read the A/N from the end of it also. And sorry for my typos and grammar mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE or anything else by Level-5, OOC-ness and that's all.**

_Italic bolds- thoughts_

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**Captured In My Own Dream**

**Chapter 14**

The two circled slowly. There wan no time for haste. The wolf's glacial silver eyes gazed fixedly at the blue fire in Nagumo's. The Sword of Moon, still glowing angrily, was held firmly in his left hand. He began to awkwardly raise the sword.

The wolf perceived the threat and bared his teeth in answer. Time slowed for Nagumo once more instilling in him a sense of urgency. He had to reach that altar. The wolf seemed to feel his opponent's rush and in answer his eyes seemed to glitter in mocking challenge, and attempt to coax his adversary into a foolish charge. Nagumo did not take the bait although a more irrational portion of his mind was sorely tempted.

Finally, it was the wolf that tired of the preliminary game and made a lunge for Nagumo's legs, perhaps hoping to impair his movement. He was able to leap aside in time. He even managed to swing at the wolf's vulnerable hind legs as the creature sped past, but his clumsy left-handed attempt was a few inches off, just missing it's target.

Unfortunately for Nagumo, his swing had thrown him off-balance, only a little but to his enemy it was enough. The wolf struck at Nagumo's good arm, his left arm. As ungainly as he currently was, he was too slow.

Wolf jaws clamped onto Nagumo's upper arm while he had only managed to raise his sword enough to slice the wolf's shoulder. At least his sluggish defense succeeded in forcing the wolf to relinquish its grip.

Now pain seared through both arms and Nagumo had to grip the sword with both hands to prevent it from slipping out of his weak fingers. His own blood was now soaking through both sleeves. Panic began to flood his mind.

He was going to die here, fangs buried in his throat without ever seeing his mother again. Tears began to leak from his eyes then migrate down his cheeks blurring his vision. Alone. He was going to die here all alone. No one was here to mourn his loss since the only people who cared were locked away. Loneliness began to replace the panic, or create more panic than the thought of dying ever could.

Nagumo was not too sure which it was. Helpless despair and frenzied loneliness caused by his absolute failure made the tears come faster until he dropped the sword collapsed on the floor and sobbed, face in his hands.

The wolf watched, contempt for the weeping, broken thing the boy had become heavy in his stare. Perhaps it was this contempt that finally roused Nagumo and forced him to his feet. He himself was not even sure of his reason.

After dropping the sword his fingers had become numb, missing the blade's warmth. Leaning down he reclaimed the hilt, still needing both hands, and began to examine the situation. He knew he was too weak to prolong this confrontation for much longer so he decided on a quick attack. Even though he knew his chances at succeeded at such a desperate strategy were minimal, at least he had a chance. The blade in his hand began to glow more brightly in reflection of his determination.

Guessing at Nagumo's strategy, the wolf decided to attack first and began his charge just as he finished gathering up the resolve to begin his own. Nagumo was ready for the attack by the time it reached him. He sidestepped but reached out his arms so that the wolf would impale himself upon the glowing sword with his own reckless momentum.

He dragged the blade from the dead wolf and watched the life slowly fade from the proud animal's eyes. Finally those icy orbs were blank and the wolf collapsed in a heap of snowy fur. His knees buckled and he fell to a kneeling position on the icy floor, his breathing harsh and fast.

Nagumo slowly rose and staggered in a vaguely straight line toward the altar, a now cold sword clutched loosely in his fingers.

There it was. The purpose of his journey lay before him, real at last. There she was. The same perfection he had witnessed before only in his dream. He leaned heavily against the casket. A smile crept across the exhausted lines of his face. A cruel laugh, like an icicle shattering, sliced the smile off with a cold meanness.

With painful slowness, Nagumo's head turned until his eyes found the source of the noise.

_"We all saw someone with blue eyes and blue hair with two white locks at the sides. And it was a woman."_

Hiroto's words rang in Nagumo's head when his gaze fell upon the very being he had been describing.

"I see you recognize me," she said icily. When he only glared she continued, "I must say that I'm impressed you were able to defeat my loyal pack single-handedly. Although it seems you did have a little help. Tell me where did you find that fascinating weapon?"

Her voice had turned from ice to an even worse falsely pleasant conversational tone. Nagumo remained silent. This silence only provoked her and she dropped the false pleasantries.

"Not that it matters anyway for you'll never succeed in what you came to do," she spat at him nastily. As much as he wished to ignore her, Nagumo now knew he could not.

For she was right. Now that he had come this far he realized he had no idea how to free the girl imprisoned in the ice block he was leaning against. He wracked his brain for any clue from his dreams. Nothing. No ideas, no wild guesses, nothing. The woman's lips spread in an unpleasant smile across her pale marble face.

"How pathetic, to come all this only to realize you were doomed to fail from the beginning. I could almost feel sorry for you," a bark of laughter followed that proving beyond any doubt that she was not serious.

Nagumo bowed his head in shame. _What do I do now?_ He thought. He knew the woman was the "villain", but he still didn't know what to do about it. The only way to defeat her was too release the girl in the casket but that was something he did not know how to achieve. Anger. Anger at his helplessness, his uselessness welled up inside him.

_"Defender of the Weak indeed! I'm just some nobody who can't do anything right!''_

The anger toward himself morphed then, took an outside outlet. He looked at the ice woman and decided that she was the cause of all this. After all she had started it all by imprisoning the Spring girl in the first place.

As his anger flared once more so did the blade. Once again it turned hot and red, but it was more intense this time. The snow lady laughed. Nagumo had been hoping to inspire fear not ridicule.

"Silly child. That blade is useless now. It has been overheated already. This new heat will only ruin it further," she shook her head, "Such a pity, it's a lovely sword."

She smiled mockingly at his consternation. Maybe she's lying? As if to confirm its existence, he looked down at the sword. Instead of seeing a reassuring image of his sword glowing red with fury, Nagumo saw a sword that seemed to shimmer in waves, softening, melting. He gasped.

What was happening? This must be her fault. His eyes found that ice woman once more and he glared intensely.

"Silly boy," she snickered, "This isn't my fault! That sword belongs to Moon. She can only take so much heat and you are like a sun that has come too close to her child." Her explanation was demeaning.

She treated him as if he could never grasp even the simplest concept. This only fueled his burning fury even if it was ruining the sword, his only weapon. The ice woman laughed knowing that she had succeeded in provoking him until he was incapable of halting his rage.

An idea struck him. What if he were to lay the sword upon the ice casket? Perhaps then it would cool. Carefully he laid the sword on top of the girl's tomb and released the hilt.

"Fool."

He glanced at the winter lady and saw her smiling horribly.

"Do you think the sword will lose it's heat just because you are not in contact with it? No, it will continue to destroy itself. I told you it was already overheated. It's over. The blade is ruined."

Miserable, Nagumo looked towards his feet. His brow furrowed in confusion. His boots had little water droplets clinging to them. Had this been the case a while ago he would not have found this strange, but any water from the snow should have dried by now.

A new dropped joined the others. His eyes followed the path the droplet had taken and eventually was led to look at his sword, his hot, melting sword. A small smile found its way to his lips. He had solved the riddle. More water joined the stream that was trickling down the sides of the ice prison. Then the water was coming in sheets. Finally the woman noticed.

She screeched.

Incoherent with rage she rushed toward Nagumo her face twisted with icy fury. Like a blizzard he thought. Then he began to worry about defending himself for he now saw she held a dagger that glinted at him evilly.

"Stop." A small voice but full of promise. Nagumo jumped in surprise not knowing where the voice came from. The winter woman stopped in her tracks. Shock evident in her features. She was most definitely not looking at him. He turned to see what held her attention and whom the voice belonged to.

Her. Perfection stared into his eyes, aware at last. Nagumo smiled. She had been released before the ice woman could do anything about it. Triumphantly, Nagumo turned to face Winter and saw her face crumple with age as she face her end.

Spring had come.

The ice lady crumpled to the smooth floor of her palace as it began to melt. Running water was everywhere. Once the castle had been reduced so a soggy patch of ground the snow began to melt. A circle originating at the spring girl fanned out spreading not only the promise of warmth that spring brings but also flawless new green grass and the most vibrant flowers he had ever seen.

"Thank you," said a soft voice next to his ear. Nagumo turned and looked at her admiring her eyes.

Her cheeks colored a little and she suddenly looked very young, "You did so much for me and for all those people she imprisoned. How did you know?"

"I dreamed about you," He replied with a smile, "I kept seeing you in that place and then everyone disappeared and I dreamed about them too."

"Someone heard," she whispered wonderingly. Nagumo almost missed it her voice was so quiet.

He knew he had not meant for him to hear but he had to know. "What do you mean 'Someone heard'?" he asked. She turned her face away in thought and he felt inexplicably lonely for her eyes.

"I tried to…um…lure someone to help me, but I didn't think I'd succeed," she said finally in an embarrassed tone. Her eyes refused to meet his. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder and he had the satisfaction of having her look at him in surprise.

"I'm glad you did. It gave me a chance to save my family and friends and…you," he said with his kind smile still spread across his face.

There they stood, together, for how long he could not recall. Eventually he recalled himself. He had to leave and confirm that everyone was free and unharmed.

Somehow Nagumo made it home by foot. There was no snow so returning the way he came, by snowmobile, was impossible. He would apologize to Hiroto later.

Now Nagumo was laying on his bed a smile on his face. She had walked with him the entire way and had rejoiced with him when he found that normalcy had been returned to his home. Complete normalcy.

No one remembered anything of their imprisonment, but Nagumo supposed that was all to the good. He knew that had he been in their place he would not care to recall such an experience.

She sat in the room with him, perched on the windowsill gazing at the budding trees, a soft smile curving her lips. Watching her Nagumo felt peace but sadness as well. Once spring ended she would disappear until the next year. Unlike winter she had no dreams of overthrowing summer and so he would only see her one-quarter of the year.

He knew he was obsessed, but so what? He had just saved the world giving him the right to obsess, at least a little, over the example of perfection that she was.

Becoming suddenly aware of his scrutiny, she turned to look at him flashing him a breathtaking smile. Nagumo was certain that spring would forever remain his favorite season.

A field. Grass waving gently in the wind, blossoms floating through the air from the trees that edged the clearing, spots of bright color winking from the green grass, announcing the presence of flowers. These things all mattered but he had eyes only for what was waiting at the center of the clearing beside a singing stream. Bliss filled his heart as he gazed at her. She was perfect. There was no suspecting this certainty. It was truth. The breeze gently lifted her white-blue hair and she smiled at it's caress before turning her blue eyes on him. He crossed the field to be next to her, together. Spring was all around but most importantly she was in front of him. They were together.

Nagumo woke slowly from his dream. Ever since summer had started he had dreamed of her each night in the spring field. He smiled and got out of bed ready to face the summer months, along with the fall and winter, as long as he had his dreams.

**The End**

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**A/N: Thanks for reading this fic really. I was extremely happy with every single reviews I read. I want to thanks to all the authors which read, favorite, followed and reviewed this fic. You made me the most happiest person alive. Thank you for such a lovely gift. **

**That was my fic, I love Gazel x Burn so I needed to write something for them. Now, I have another story in my head, which I really want to write. Sorry for my stupid words, I was never good at those kind of stuff. Anyways, my new fic will be a Multi-chapter one also, with Gamma x Beta main couple. I don't know if u will like it or not. Sorry!**

**Once again, thank you for everything. All of you.**

**See ya in my future stories!**

**Reviews?**


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